How I Found a Company That Was a Perfect Culture Fit

Our mission here at The Muse is simple: to help you find your dream job. So, there’s nothing we love more than hearing about it when you do!

Today, we chatted with Javier Gonzalez, who recently landed a job as—get this—a food safety scientist! He’s passionate about food, ingredients, and creating the highest quality products, and working at RXBAR allows him to do just that. His favorite part of working at RXBAR? Creating a healthy protein bar that tastes amazing, and outside of the office playing sports and working out with his co-workers.

Tell us about yourself!

I was born in Valladolid, Spain. I’m a food processing engineer and also have a degree in Agricultural Engineering. I started my career in the craft brewery industry and then turned my focus to food products. I moved to Chicago in 2015 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology to pursue a degree in Food Safety and Technology and find a job opportunity in the food space. I’m very passionate about food trends, nutrition, and, when I’m not working, sports.

What do you do as a food safety scientist?

Quality is a priority for everything we do at RXBAR. We have a research and development team that creates our products and drives innovation. I’m a part of this team, and I lead our food quality management program. This entails evaluating every ingredient we use to ensure it’s the best. We have very high standards, and I work with our suppliers to make sure our raw materials meet our requirements. Our goal is to make sure everything our customers buy is the best on the market.

What were you doing before you landed your new job?

I was getting my master’s degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

What attracted you to RXBAR when you found it on The Muse?

I loved the product they were making and the philosophy behind it. Straight forward, honest, high quality, and full of great macronutrients. From the videos, I could tell RXBAR had a great culture, and I thought my personality would fit in well. I also followed a lot of sports and fitness influencers on social media, and I saw some of them posting about RXBAR, so that made me even more interested in the company.

Learn More About Working at RXBAR

What’s something most people would find surprising about working at RXBAR?

Something that I haven’t experienced in other jobs is true immersion into the full business. At RXBAR, from day one, it’s all about collaboration and understanding how everything works. They instill the notion that our work can’t get done without other people’s help.

During our first week on the job, everyone does customer service. This helps us learn about the product and more importantly, connect with our customers. We also have 101 meetings with all the departments to understand their roles. This immediately makes us feel connected to what other people do and makes you feel like an important part of the company.

What’s your favorite part so far about working at RXBAR?

It’s hard to choose one!

Aside from truly loving the products we make, I love our team. I know everybody and a lot of us share similar hobbies and interests, which is pretty unique for a company. A lot of us are into fitness and sports. It doesn’t matter if it’s running, CrossFit, basketball, yoga—we love working out together.

Is there anything from The Muse that helped you out in your job hunt?

I read a lot of The Muse articles and used advice from some of them during my interview process. They helped me highlight my strengths and weaknesses and gave me tips on things to improve.

I was also really inspired by the RXBAR company profile on The Muse—if someone asked me my ideal work environment, it would look a lot like RXBAR’s office. Also, the videos and interviews of some of the employees helped me learn more about the company and gave me a real sense of the RXBAR “family.”

Is there anything in particular you did during your application process that you think helped you stand out and land the job?

I was very motivated about RXBAR’s product. I was a customer before applying for the job, so I showed how much I liked the product and how motivated I was to work for them, even attaching the email confirmation from my last RXBAR purchase.

I also mentioned that for one of my master’s projects, I made a plan to create a protein bar company based on some ideas I had for the perfect snack. Another one of my projects was focused on developing a fortified micronutrient drink for kids. I think both projects matched RXBAR’s philosophy and impressed the hiring manager.